Table 1. Descriptive summary of the main characteristics of the reviewed articles.

Author (year) / nationality / periodical	Objectives		Methodological design / Number and age group of participants	Conclusions
Abed Al Jawad et al28 (2012) / United Kingdom / European Journal of Orthodontics	Elucidate the changes in the diets of patients during the early stages of orthodontic treatment with braces and identify factors influencing these changes in behavior.		Qualitative / Semi-structured interviews / 10 / Adolescents	Two main topics were presented: experience with pain and behavioral changes in response to the use of braces.
Bhamrah et al 38 (2015) / United Kingdom / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Investigate the information that orthognathic patients share and discuss with peers away from the clinical environment, to provide better information for orthognathic patients.		Qualitative / 1912 posts on internet forums / Adults	The study shows that orthognathic patients seek further information on the treatment, suggesting a possible gap in communication between patient and professional. Therefore, physicians should advise their patients so that they have access to relevant content.
Cirgic et al 36 (2015) / Sweden / Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research	Explore and describe experiences of adolescents in treatment with removable functional appliances.		Qualitative / Unstructured interviews / 21 / Adolescents (11-15 years old)	The experiences of adolescents in using removable functional appliances seem to be highly diversified, and the dentist has an important role in this process. In addition, efforts should be made by clinicians to hear and understand the needs and expectations of adolescents before the start of treatment.
Davidson et al29 (2012) / Canada / Journal of Canadian Dental Association	Examine the life experiences of women orthodontists about the balance between family and work.		Qualitative and quantitative / Semi-structured interviews / 13 / Adults	The findings reflect their definitions of balance, the specific challenges for the practice of orthodontics, and the strategies developed by women to combine maternal and professional roles to achieve balance.
Davis et al14 (2015) / United States of America / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Identify and categorize motivational profiles that explain the reasons why Hispanic or Latino and white parents seek orthodontic treatment for their children, and determine whether there are differences between the parent groups.		Qualitative and quantitative / Interviews / 10 (qualitative) and 70 (quantitative) / Adults	Declarations resulting from the study suggest that four general topics may cover the main reasons for parents seeking orthodontic treatment for their children: sense of responsibility instilled by a professional; need for oral health care perceived by the clinician; preventing future problems or motivation issues for their children; and aesthetic benefit to improve the child’s self-image.
Delalíbera et al15 (2010) / Brazil / Acta Scientiarum Health Science	Evaluate the aesthetic results of Class II patients undergoing corrective orthodontic treatment, from the patient’s perspective, and to compare it with normative results obtained by complementary examinations after treatment.		Qualitative and quantitative / Semi-structured interviews / 7 / Adolescents / Adults	The results showed that different facial angles and proportions of what is proposed as scientifically aesthetic does not interfere with the results of treatment, provided that the facial perception of the subjects involved meet the standards of normality and accepted by them and those set by society.
Flett et al16 (2014) / United Kingdom / Journal of Orthodontics	Explore the views of potentially orthognathic patients considering the influence of a DVD about orthognathic surgery in the decision to perform the procedure.		Qualitative / Unstructured interviews / 10 / Adolescents / Adults	The DVD provided reliable information that patients do not get or cannot understand from professionals or the internet. If used properly, it can play an important role in the decision to perform the procedure, but should be viewed within a broader context.
Josefsson 17 (2010) / Sweden / Swedish Dental Journal (supplement)	Generate a theory that elucidates the complaints of young adults with poor dental aesthetics and the measures they adopt for dealing with this situation on a daily basis.		Qualitative / Unstructured interview / 13 / Adolescents / Adults	A core categorized as “being under the pressure of social norms” was generated and can be applied to improve the understanding of young adults who adjust to poor aesthetics, and to identify those who are not well-adjusted and could benefit from treatment.
Meaney et al18 (2012) / Ireland / European Journal of Orthodontics	Determine the impact of congenital absence of teeth on psychosocial and functional well-being and identify important factors for patients that would be incorporated into health status measures for population studies and clinical trials.		Qualitative / Semi-structured interviews / 10 / Adolescents / Adults	Patients have difficulty in understanding their condition and the implications for treatment after the initial diagnosis. The delay between diagnosis and orthodontic and restorative treatment was a common problem.
Pabari et al19 (2011) / United Kingdom / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Determine the motivation and expectations of adults for orthodontic treatment and develop a measure to evaluate these motivating factors and psychological traits of these patients.		Qualitative and quantitative / Focus groups / Questionnaire / 25 (qualitative) / 135 (quantitative) / Adolescents / Adults	The desire for aligned teeth was one of the factors reported by the participants, with self-motivation of around 50%. Social pressure was also a factor.
Prabakaran20 (2002) / United Kingdom / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Investigate the motivations of adolescents and parents/guardians for orthodontic treatment and try to classify them according to their perceptual similarities.		Qualitative and quantitative / Unstructured interviews / 24 (qualitative) / 120 (quantitative) / Adolescents / Adults	For adolescents, aesthetics was the most significant factor in the search for orthodontic treatment, while for parents/guardians it was concern about the possibility of future problems.
Rachel Henzell et al39 (2014) / New Zealand / Angle Orthodontics	Analyze the content of orthodontics-related posts on Twitter		Qualitative / 131 tweets / Adolescents / Adults	Users expressed positive and negative experiences. However, the negatives were offset by the expectation of the aesthetic results achieved.
Ryan et al21 (2009) / United Kingdom / Journal of Orthodontics	Develop a measure to assess perceptions of orthognathic patients about referral to a mental health professional.		Qualitative / Semi-structured interviews / 20 / Adults	Development of a questionnaire in which two main issues were addressed: Provision of service and mental health professional’s perceptions.
Ryan et al22 (2012) / United Kingdom / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Qualitatively explore and analyze the wide range of impacts of dentofacial deformity, and understand patients’ motivations for seeking orthognathic treatment.		Qualitative / Semi-structured interviews / 18 / Adolescents and Adults	The motivating factors for treatment are directly or indirectly associated with the impact of the condition, which may be related to a complex generated by other factors such as personality, education, and personal relationships.
Shelton et al23 (2015) / United Kingdom / Orthodontics & Craniofacial Research	Develop a questionnaire to assess the psychosocial aspects that orthognathic patients considered important regarding their dentofacial deformities.		Qualitative and quantitative / Semi-structured interviews / 30 / Adolescents (over 16 years’ age) / Adults	The specific questionnaire for orthognathic patients proved to be reliable, valid, and sensitive for evaluating the psychological aspects related to dentofacial deformities of these patients, which did not happen with anxiety and depression questionnaires
Soma et al33 (2012) / New Zealand / Australian Orthodontic Journal	Investigate the daily practice routine of orthodontists in order to generate an understanding of the reality of the specialty’s practice and its effects on their personal and professional lives.		Qualitative / Semi-structured interviews / 19 / Adults	Demonstrates the value of observing how orthodontists continue to develop in response to changes in society in New Zealand.
Soma et al35 (2012) / New Zealand / Australian Orthodontic Journal	Investigate the balance between personal and professional life of orthodontists in New Zealand to generate greater understanding of the effect of professional practice on the personal lives of professionals.		Qualitative / Semi-structured interviews / 19 / Adults	Although New Zealand orthodontists are aware of the need for a balance between personal and professional life, some factors such as the impossibility of reducing the workload and stress related to the profession hinder this process.
Stanford et al24 (2014) / United Kingdom / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Examine the concept of dentofacial normality from the perspective of orthodontic patients, using qualitative research methodology.		Qualitative / Semi-structured interviews / 15 / Adolescents / Adults	The constructs of normality consist of personal experiences and can be influenced by external factors such as professionals, friends, media ... Normal appearance seems to include biological and social elements.
Stephens et al40 (2013) / United Kingdom / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Investigate how adolescent patients find information about orthodontic treatment, why they seek such information, and what are their preferences for accessing the same.		Qualitative and quantitative / Semi-structured interviews / 15 (qualitative) and 50 (quantitative) / Adolescents	Main means of information: conversation with orthodontist and reading pamphlets. The preferred mode of information was verbal. While most used the internet as a social network, it was not used as expected.
Taghavi Bayat et al25 (2013) / Sweden / Acta Odontológica Scandinavica	Explore how malocclusions affect the daily lives of adolescents and how they deal with the afflictions related to them.		Qualitative / Focus groups / 12 / Adolescents	Patients appeared repeatedly reminded of their dental conditions. Low self-esteem was reinforced by media influences.
Twigge et al27 (2016) / Australia / European Journal of Orthodontics	Evaluate, in the short- and long-term, orthodontic treatment expectations, malocclusion severity, and oral health-related quality of life status of adolescent patients		Qualitative and quantitative / Interviews / 105 / Adolescents (12-17 years of age)	Female patients tend to experience worse psychosocial impacts related to their malocclusions, compared to males with the same need for orthodontic treatment. Adolescent patients seek to improve their dental appearance and aspects of their quality of life.
Twigge et al41 (2016) / Australia / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Assess, through patient facial images and qualitative methodology, patients’ orthodontic concerns, which are incorporated into and are important in treatment planning and consent.		Qualitative and quantitative / Interviews / 105 / Adolescents (12-17 years old)	Adolescents were more concerned with the appearance of crowding and gaps in the front teeth, and with the difficulty of cleaning these teeth. The display of facial images helped the teenagers to identify additional concerns related to appearance.
Veeroo et al37 (2014) / United Kingdom / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Conduct a pilot test to evaluate the effectiveness of ways of evaluating complaints about the use of intermaxillary elastics and investigate the motivation for their use.		Qualitative and quantitative / Semi-structured interviews / 14 / Adolescents	The questionnaire evaluated showed no difference in the normal routine instructions on the use of elastics, although it showed a tendency for better use.
O’Keeffe et al30 (2016)/ United Kingdom / Journal of Orthodontics	Evaluate the experiences of patients with hypodontia in a teaching hospital, after diagnosis, and then their satisfaction with the orthodontic care received and the result at the end of active orthodontic treatment.		Qualitative / Unstructured and semi-structured interviews / 20 / Adolescents and adults	The importance of patient reporting was highlighted in all interviews. The main areas that could be strengthened were related to the importance of ensuring good communication, particularly with individuals undergoing complex multidisciplinary treatment.
Gassem et al31 (2016) / United Kingdom / Journal of Dentistry	Design and evaluate the psychometric properties of a measure investigating the expectations of patients with hypodontia, concerning the process and outcome of combined orthodontic/restorative treatment.		Qualitative and quantitative / Interviews / 41 (qualitative) and 42 (quantitative) / Adolescents and adults	A patient-based measure for the process and outcome of combined orthodontic-restorative treatment was developed for patients with hypodontia. It had good validity and satisfactory internal consistency.
Kearney et al32 (2016)/ United Kingdom / American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics	Identify occlusal discrepancies related to the anterior mandibular segment that may lead to a decision to undergo orthodontic retraction.		Qualitative and quantitative / Focus groups / Questionnaire / 50 50 / Adolescents and adults	The perception of mandibular anterior segment irregularity and its influence on the need for orthodontic retraction are complex and multifaceted. However, the horizontal discrepancies of the incisors were considered the most significant by both lay and professional evaluators.
Jones et al34 (2016) / United Kingdom / European Journal of Dental Education	Explore undergraduate student experiences in the treatment of orthodontic emergencies within an educational institution.		Qualitative / Semi-structured interviews / 72 / Adults	Most students were confident in taking charge of orthodontic emergencies. The theoretical knowledge supplemented by exposure to a range of clinical problems within a learning environment made the students feel more confident.